Jim Walker
jim.walker@irontontribune.com

AID — Young Guns 3.
The Symmes Valley Lady Vikings turned their offense and defense over to their younger players early in the game as they rolled past the Western Lady Indians 21-3 in a Southern Ohio Conference 5-inning run rule win on Friday.
“We got to play a lot of our younger girls and they did a really nice job for us. They hit the ball and they fielded well. We didn’t have an error,” said Lady Vikings’ coach Jeff “Odie” Estep.
Savannah Mart started and went 2 innings for the win as she did not allow a hit, struck out 4 and walked 2. Kylee Thompson took over in the third and finished up as she struck out 3 and walked 2.
Symmes Valley (5-0, 1-0) cranked out 18 hits led by Kaitlyn Stevenson who was 2-2 with a double and 4 runs batted in.
Desiree Simpson was 3-4 with a double, Kylee Thompson 3-5 and 2 RBIs, Jordy Ellison and Lilly Schneider 2-2, Mart 2-4 and 2 RBIs, Kelsie Gothard and Hailee Beckett 1-1 and Lauren Wells and Hailee Gordon 1-2.
The Lady Vikings took a 7-0 lead in the first inning as Mart and Stevenson each had 2-run singles.
Symmes Valley scored 7 more runs in the second highlighted by Simpson and Stevenson with 2-run doubles and Wells with an RBI single.
The lead grew to 18-0 in the third keyed by Schneider’s 2-run double.
Ellison had a 2-run single as the big hit in a 3-run fourth.
Western (1-2, 0-1) scored on 3 of its runs on all 6 of its hits in the fourth.
Symmes Valley visits Portsmouth Notre Dame on Monday.
Western 000 30 = 3 6 7
Sym. Valley 774 3x = 21 18 0
Hayleigh Thompson and Mea Henderson. Savannah Mart, Kylee Thompson (3) and Jocelyn Carpenter. W-Mart (IP-2.0, H-0, K-4, BB-2). K. Thompson (IP-3.0, H-6, R-3, ER-3, K-3, BB-2). L-Thompson. Hitting-WHS: Mea Henderson 1-1, Bailey Elliott 1-2, Brooklyn Leedy 1-3, Hayleigh Thompson 1-2, Morgan Whitley 1-2, Carson Walls 1-2; SV: Desiree Simpson 3-4 2B, Kylee Thompson 3-5 2-RBI, Savannah Mart 2-4 2-RBI, Jordy Ellison 2-2, Kaitlyn Stevenson 2-2, Lilly Schneider 2-2, Kylee Jenkins 1-2, Lauren Wells 1-2, Hailee Gordon 1-2, Kelsie Gothard 1-1, Hailee Beckett 1-1.